When Should I Get a Breast Augmentation Revision?

Summary: We tend to talk about plastic surgery as though once you’ve made your decision, there’s no going back. That’s not entirely accurate. In fact, surgeons offer a wide variety of “revision” procedures that are capable of changing the results of your plastic surgery procedure. That’s why many people wonder, when should I get a breast augmentation revision?

Finding Out When You Should Get a Breast Augmentation Revision

Most plastic surgery procedures are permanent. Once you get them, there’s no going back to the way your body was before. In the case of breast augmentation procedures, that’s true—you can’t bring your body back to the state it was before your implant. But you can reduce the size of your bust back down to where it was.

That’s why a breast augmentation is procedure that is effectively permanent. This means that the results, in some ways, can be changed, but the fact that the procedure was performed cannot. I know that sounds like I might be splitting hairs, but I’m doing that for a reason.

Breast augmentation revision (sometimes called breast implant revision) is the procedure that is used to replace one implant with another (or to remove implants in general). It’s become a quite popular procedure, but it can be difficult to know precisely when you should get a breast augmentation revision. The timing, after all, can be quite important.

If You’re Wondering, When Should I Get a Breast Augmentation Revision…

When it comes to the timing of getting a breast augmentation revision, there are several factors that must be balanced by the patient. Each of these factors can influence the overall timing of the procedure. Some of those factors include:

Your desire: The most important factor for getting a breast augmentation revision is, basically on you. You should only get one if you want one (it’s likely that your implant may exceed its projected “quality date,” after all). Now, sometimes you may want a breast implant revision because of issues that arise from your implant, but you still desire the change.

Issues with your implant: Sometimes an implant may develop issues throughout its lifespan. In cases of silicone or saline implants, you may at some point experience a rupture. To be sure, these instances are exceptionally rare. But it’s still something you might want to be prepared to address at some point.

The implant reaches the edge of its “lifespan:” The FDA gives both saline and silicone breast implants a kind of expected lifespan. They’re only good (and guaranteed) for so long. Now, the shelf life of breast implants is usually vastly underestimated, and the generally agreed upon current shelf life is between fifteen and twenty-five years.

You want a simple change in size: Sometimes, you just want to change things up. Many patients simply don’t feel as though their current size (whatever that might be) reflects them anymore. In some cases, this means increasing the size, but more often that means decreasing the size of the implants.

It’s important to note that you must wait for your body to finish healing from your first breast augmentation before getting any kind of revision (for those of you who are in a hurry).

How is a Breast Augmentation Revision Performed?

Breast augmentation revision procedures are performed in much the same way as any type of breast augmentation, using the same techniques and incisions. Indeed, many times surgeons will try to use the same incision site for the revision as was used for the original procedure.

Now, this isn’t always possible—it depends on whether the surgeon is using the same technique (and technique is often dependent on the size of the implant, or at least influenced by it). The point is this: a breast augmentation revision procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis, with patients allowed to return home for recuperation and recovery the same day.

Sometimes, when the breast size is decreased during a revision, a breast lift or breast reduction will be performed at the same time, in order to preserve the most youthful look possible for the patient.

Is Breast Augmentation Revision Worth it?

Whenever you decide to have a breast augmentation revision performed, you might wonder whether the procedure is really worth all the trouble. Ultimately, that will depend on the patient. Any decision to get any type of plastic surgery is, at its core, personal. But there are certainly some benefits to consider when it comes to breast augmentation revision:

A revision procedure can lead to long-term happiness and comfort (especially if you’re downsizing)

A revision procedure can prevent a rupture of an older implant

A revision can make you feel more comfortable with your body

A revision can help make you feel more in tune with your body

In other words, a breast augmentation revision is definitely worth it if you no longer feel as though your body reflects who you are. If that’s the case, contact your surgeon right away.